Saratoga News

Sports

Hernandez heads to state, Dolbec just misses

By Dick Sparrer

The track and field season ended for most high school athletes last Friday night at the Central Coast Section finals at San José City College. But not for Emilio Hernandez of Del Mar.

Hernandez will advance to the 2006 State Track and Field Championships set for June 2-3 at Falcon Stadium on the campus of Cerritos College in Norwalk, and he advances as a section champion.

The senior finished first in the high jump at the CCS meet last week to earn a ticket to the meet that features the top high school track and field athletes in California. Hernandez topped the bar at 6-6 to claim a first.

Hernandez was also sixth in the triple jump at CCS, soaring 44.8-5. Westmont junior Kevin Blakley was 10th with a leap of 42-4.75.

Del Mar senior Angel Gonzalez raced to a 10th-place finish in the 1,600-meter run in 4:33.50.

In girls competition, Prospect junior Kendra Rimbach competed in two events at CCS and barely missed a state trip in each one. Rimbach was fourth in the long jump at 18-2 and fourth in the triple jump at 37-1.

Only the top three placers in each event advanced to state.

Saratoga's Kierston Dolbec and Ken Douglas also came close to qualifying for the state meet.

Dolbec, just a freshman, was fourth in the high jump at 5-4. The first-, second- and third-place marks were also 5-4, but the others advanced on fewer misses.

Douglas, a senior, ended up fifth in the 800 in 1:58.26.